EA406-7-FY-LO:
Music and Singing
2023/24
East 15 Acting School
East15 (Loughton) Campus
Full Year
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
15
31 March 2021
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
MA W41012 Acting,
MFA W41020 Acting
This module provides training in practical musicianship by developing sight-singing skills, applying them to more challenging works involving harmony and counterpoint.
You will learn part-songs, rounds etc. and gain understanding of the concepts of key and mode in music. You will sing in harmony and counterpoint with your fellow students and will be helped to develop memorising skills. As a result of this module you will improve your fluency in sight singing.
The aim is to enable students to consolidate an intensive programme of musical work undertaken within the space of a year: students will develop the ability to memorise and sing in parts and the use of the singing voice with a degree of technical assurance.
The work of the module enables the student to develop the fundamentals of good voice production (posture, breath, onset of tone etc.) A sense of rhythm, and develop aural awareness. It aims to provide the student with the appropriate language to critically analyse various singing styles and techniques.
No information available.
Ability to demonstrate:
Technical
1. Breathing (correct use of techniques)
2. Rhythm (feeling the pulse of the music)
3. Resonance and placement (intonation, free and unconstricted tone)
4. Physicality (posture, alignment, release)
5. Articulation (energized text, use of vowels and consonants)
Sung Material
1. Solo songs: a variety of styles including; but not limited to folk, historical, Stephen Sondheim, and pop
2. Ensemble songs (unison and harmony singing)
3. Connection (demonstration of journey through song)
4. Application of technical skills
5. Development (ownership of voice, working through inhibition)
Singing: Term One
This unit aims to enable the student to develop the fundamentals of good voice production, a sense of rhythm, and develop aural awareness. It aims to provide the student with the appropriate language to critically analyse various singing styles and techniques, specifically:
1. How to effectively warm up the singing voice, as an extension of the speaking voice.
2. Understanding the importance of effort, constriction and retraction.
3. Look at "SPLAT" and "chest" breaths and their appropriate uses.
4. The principals required for the correct reproduction of pitch.
5. Correct use of onsets, larynx height and body-cover.
6. How to tilt the thyroid and cricoid cartilages, produce an effective siren and increase soft palate awareness
7. The functions of the jaw, lips and tongue in singing, and their correct use.
8. Discover how to narrow the aryepiglottic sphincter, and appropriate times to do so.
9. The importance of head, neck and torso anchoring.
10. How to combine the vocal structures into producing effective, safe voice qualities: Speech, Falsetto, Sob, Twang, Opera & Belt
11. Application of articulation to sung material.
12. Knowledge and understanding of music theory to aid music-reading.
Singing: Term Two:
This unit is to develop further the technical skills acquired in term one, and apply them to a wider, more demanding range of repertoire and emotional situations. You will be asked to show practical application of technical work, and to demonstrate:
1. Effective acting through song techniques in a range of styles, including soliloquy songs.
2. application of technical skills to solo repertoire of specific genres
3. Music of set periods and styles related to the term's acting projects.
Singing: Term Three
By the third term the students are regarded as actors who can communicate through song, and are ready to prepare for audition. You will have sufficient confidence in your voice to be able to diversify (as demonstrated in your various performances in term two) and can attempt various types of repertoire. You will have a good idea of your own vocal identity and can concentrate on pieces that you feel are suited to you, and are beneficial for audition purposes. By the end of Term Three you will be able to:
1. understand the importance of, and demonstrate an ability to regularly warm up the voice.
2. have an understanding of suitable audition techniques
3. prepare a diverse collection of audition songs to include amongst others:
A ballad; An up-tempo song; A song suitable for unaccompanied audition
4. demonstrate an understanding of the dramatic context, narrative and emotional context.
Practical Musicianship
You will learn part-songs, rounds etc. and gain understanding of the concepts of rhythm, tempo, key, intervals, repeats, dynamics and mood in music. You will sing in harmony and counterpoint with your fellow students. The aim is to enable students to consolidate an intensive programme of musical work undertaken within the space of a year: students will develop the ability to memorise and sing in parts and the use of the singing voice with a degree of technical assurance.
Practical classes, workshops, tutorials, rehearsals
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
warm up and folk song assessment |
|
10% |
| Coursework |
Solo song (audience) |
|
35% |
| Practical |
Solo performance (class) |
|
20% |
| Practical |
Continuous Assessment |
|
35% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Mr Colin Sell, email: casell@essex.ac.uk.
Colin Sell, Musica and Singing Tutors
For further information please email casell
No
No
No
Prof Anthony Dean
University of Winchester
Emeritus Professor
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
Disclaimer: The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its Module Directory is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can
be necessary to make changes, for example to programmes, modules, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include a change of law or regulatory requirements,
industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in government policy, or withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to modules may for example consist
of variations to the content and method of delivery or assessment of modules and other services, to discontinue modules and other services and to merge or combine modules.
The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications and module directory.
The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.